Clamps



H. ALBERT Dec. 20, 1966 CLAMPS Filed April 13, 1966 ATTORNEY United States Patent My invention relates to clamps and more particularly to plate clamps, this application being a continuation-inpart of my copending application Serial Number 388,- 861, filed August 11, 1964, and issued as Patent Number 3,264,030, on August 2, 1966.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a clamp having .a pair of cooperating jaws with one of the jaws being slidable at an angle relative to the other jaw for increasing pressure applied to work disposed between the jaws upon relative movement of the jaws from an initial work engaging or clamping position.

Another object of -my invention is to provide a clamp of the foregoing described character which is so constructed and arranged that the work may be clamped and lifted from varying work engaging or clamping positions.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a clamp of the foregoing described character which functions to increase the compressional force of the jaws on the work when the clamp is lifted by one of the jaws.

An important object of my invention is to provide a clamp of the foregoing described character which is simple in construction, durable in use, eflicient in operation, economical in manufacture, and easily applied to and removed from the work.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a clamp constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a disassembled perspective view of the clamp; and

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the clamp illustrating the leverage action of the clevis.

As illustrated in the drawings, my novel clamp comprises a housing or body which is bifurcated to form a pair of spaced leg sections 11 and 12, respectively, connected together by a body portion 13. The legs 11 and 12 and the portion 13 coact to define a Work receiving opening 14 having one end open and the other end closed by the body portion 13. The sections 11 and :12 are provided with confronting faces 15 and 16, respectively, with the face 15 disposed in a plane angularly related to that of the face 16.

The leg 12 has threaded transversely therethrough a screw constituting a rotatable jaw 17 formed on one end with a work-engaging cup point 18 and on the opposite end with a head 19 through which is slidably mounted a rod or bar 20 for rotating the jaw 17, the bar being provided with a projecting stop 21 at each end to preclude detachment of the bar 20 from the head 19.

The inner face 15 of the leg 11 is formed with a slot 22 which extends through the body portion 13 and is defined on the leg 11 by end and side walls 23 and 24, respectively. The slot 22 extends at an angle relative to the axis of the screw or jaw 17 and has slidably mounted therein a jaw 25 having an end, opposite to the jaw 17, provided with teeth or serrations 27, having their outer ends terminating in a plane right-angularly related to the axis of the jaw 17. The teeth 27 of the jaw 25 coact with the cup point 18 of the jaw 17 to grip work W therebetween and in clamping relation therewith. It is to be understood that one or more plates or the like may constitute the work W.

The opposite end of the jaw 25 extends out of the housing 10 and is pivotally connected, by means of a pin 28, to an eye member or clevis 29 for connection to a tackle or hoist. The clevis 29, adjacent the body portion 13, is formed with a shoulder 30 for engaging the adjacent face of the housing to limit the movement of the jaw into the housing as clearly illustrated in FIGURE 1.

One end of the clevis is formed with a pair of spaced lengthwise legs or sections 31 for accommodating therebetween the end of the jaw 25 and has coincident end-s of the legs 31 terminating in rounded portions constituting fulcrums 32. The clevis 29 is formed with an opening 33 whereby a hook 34 or the like, carried by suitable tackle 35, may be attached to the clevis for lifting the clamp and work. As viewed in FIGURE 1, the axis of the clevis is horizontallly off-set wit-h respect to the axis of the pin 28 whereby when the clamp is lifted by the tackle, the clevis will tend to pivot on the fulcrums, as shown in FIGURE 3, and thus, by leverage, increase the pressure upon the work disposed between the jaws by urging the jaw 25 in a direction toward the shoulder 30.

In useassuming work is disposed within the opening 14 between the paws 17 and 25the jaw 17 is rotated to effect initial clamping engagement of the work W by the jaws 17 and 25 as depicted in FIGURE 1. When the work is so positioned, the clamp is raised by the hook 34 of the tackle 35, with the result that the weight of the housing 11, jaw 17 and work will tend to urge the same downwardly relative to jaw 25 and as a consequence, due to the angularity of the jaw 25 and the leverage exerted by the fulcrurns, the teeth 27 of the jaw 25 and the cup point 18 of the jaw 17 will be forced into biting and compressed relation with the work. The biting action of the teeth and cup point is eifective to preclude slippage of the plate or between plates when more than one is being raised. The work may be readily removed from the clamp by rotating the jaw 17 out of clamping relation with the Work, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjoin-tly since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and subcombinations.

It is obvious that the invention is not confined solely to the use herein disclosed in connection therewith as it may be utilized for any purpose to which it is adaptable. It is, therefore, to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific construction as illustrated and described, as the same is only illustrative of the principles involved which are capable of extended application in various forms, and the invention comprehends all construction within the scope of the appended claims. It is to be understood that the language used herein and in the claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all staternents of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, may be said to fall therebetween. It is to be further understood, that in actual practice, if desired, means may be provided whereby the jaw 25 is maintained in work-engaging position when the clamp is not in use, for example, a spring or the like connected to the upper end of the jaw 25 and the body 13 for urging the jaw 3 downwardly within the body to the initial work-engaging position as illustrated in FIGURE 1.

What is claimed is:

1. A clamp comprising a body provided with a work receiving opening, a pair of jaws carried by said body and extending into said opening for engaging work disposed .in said opening between said jaws, one of said jaws being slidable in said body at an angle relative to the other jaw for coaction therewith to clamp the work between said jaws, said one jaw being effective to increase the clamping pressure on the work upon relative movement of said jaws, means pivotally connected to said one jaw for raising said clamp, said [means engageable with and movable relative to said body to apply leverage to said one jaw upon raising of said clamp by said means.

2. Thestructure as set forth and defined in claim 1 wherein said means comprises a clevis having fulcrum means for engaging said body to apply said leverage.

3. The structure as set forth and defined in claim 1 wherein said means comprises a clevis pivoted to one end of said one jaw outside of said body and provided with fulcrum means for engaging said body to apply said leverage.

4. The structure as set forth and defined in claim 1 wherein said clevis is provided with a pair of spaced legs having said end of said one jaw pivoted therebetween, said legs being provided with fulcrum means for engaging said body to apply said leverage.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,312,926 8/1919 Sherman 294-103 2,550,424 4/ 1951 Penn 294l03 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

G. F. ABRAHAM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CLAMP COMPRISING A BODY PROVIDED WITH A WORK RECEIVING OPENING, A PAIR OF JAWS CARRIED BY SAID BODY AND EXTENDING INTO SAID OPENING FOR ENGAGING WORK DISPOSED IN SAID OPENING BETWEEN SAID JAWS, ONE OF SAID JAWS BEING SLIDABLE IN SAID BODY AT AN ANGLE RELATIVE TO THE OTHER JAW FOR COACTING THEREWITH TO CLAMP THE WORK BETWEEN SAID JAWS, SAID ONE JAW BEING EFFECTIVE TO INCREASE THE CLAMPING PRESSURE ON THE WORK UPON RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID ONE JAW FOR RAISING SAID CLAMP, SAID MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH AND MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID BODY TO APPLY LEVERAGE TO SAID ONE JAW UPON RAISING OF SAID CLAMP BY SAID MEANS. 